


Letters from a Teenage Albatross

by BlueSteelFairy



Category: Firefly, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Cross Over, Other, Unrequited Love, alternative reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 03:36:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11371779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueSteelFairy/pseuds/BlueSteelFairy
Summary: After the Ameri-China Alliance was overturned and rebuilt, River Tam, the symbolic albatross of the revolution, disappeared. About the same time, Serenity Shepard enlisted in the new alliance. Over a decade later, Malcolm Reynolds, former leader of the rebellion, has letters sent to him from the Blitz Hero herself.





	Letters from a Teenage Albatross

Star Date: 2183  
Dear Captain,

I hope you'll open this letter. I suspect curiousity will win out because I write under my new alias. I know you're still unhappy that I joined the new alliance. But the old one has fallen. And I couldn't stay on the Serenity. Not after our last conversation. I write because I've been promoted to Commander! People have to heed me. Joker, our pilot, reminds me of Wash.

Well, you were right. Corruption. We were esting a new kind of ship drive, the Stealth System on the Normandy, today. It was supposed to just be a test run, but somethings got the crew on edge, and I can't dismiss their fears. Captain Anderson, an acclaimed hero, was present. Then There was a Turian Spectre on board, named Nihlus. Ah, Turians-non human race from the stars, they're hard to describe. Humanoid maybe, no hair, perhaps...scaly in form? And the back of their scalps segway into...spines? You might ask Inara. I'm sure she's had tidings with them. The point is, Joker's paranoia may not have been so out of place. Of course I didn't know yet it wasn't, I just knew something was fishy.

You know what I've been through. People of authority with secrets tend to set me on edge.

Ah, there was Jenkins, I still need to write to his family, if he has any left. A bit zealous-grew up on Eden Prime. He's so young. Was so young. I found him on the way to meet with Anderson on Nihlus-debating with our Doctor Chakwas. Don't tell my big brother, but he could learn a thing or two from her.

Chakwas would describe the Specrtres better then I could in a hundred words.  
"Spectres agents work directly for the Citadel Council. THey usually work alone or in small groups. They don't have any official power. Basically, they are a shadow organization with a mandate to protect and preserve galactic stability." Jenkins added they operate above the law.

Basically they're operatives. Wonderful.

Somehow gossip and rumor has held my history hidden. False rumors were sent out about a Blitz. I suppose the new Alliance doesn't want to discuss the Reavers anymore then the old one.

I think I have a bit of your edge. I lectured Jenkins for being too rash. Zoe said we're supposed to avoid conflict whenever we can, yeah? Or maybe its her edge I inherited.

Anderson was late to my audience, so I got to speak to Nihlus alone. I think he was trying to warn me about something. What was going to happen. What would take his life.

The mission wasn't a test run. It was a pick up, using the Shadow Drive, so no one would know we were there.

I could be court marshalled for even telling you this, if not put out the airlock. But they rarely check paper letters anymore.

A Prothean Beacon, Mal. And they wanted to keep it quiet. The last discovery put man kind hundreds of years ahead of the curve.

Heh, truth be told, Nihlus was a fine fellow. Reminded me of Zoe. If it hadn't ended as it had, I might have tried to arrange their meeting. I wonder if Emma would have liked him

Apparently his true purpose was to evaluate me. He put my name to be a candidate for the Spectres. The first human one.

[Jenkins supposed I would be a good Spectre, ironic]

My mind raced. Of course it did. Did he know? Anderson had promised me no one would know the truth about me. About being the Albatross, the symbol of a rebellion.

I was supposed to be working with Nihlus on several missions together. He was supposed to be observing me. Still, is this just about my might? Surely he had to know the story about the Blitz was a fabrication. So, did he know about-Miranda? About the Reavers? About the day we sent out the Signals?

In that short a span of time-god. Eden Prime, a peaceful settlement, fell under fire. By unknown enemies. That was when I saw it-a thing, like a clawed hand, floating in the space. Then the signal dropped. I got the distinctive feeling Anderson and Nihlus knew something. They didn't feel like sharing.

Joker flew us down, and I took Kaidan Alenko, a biotic whom I sympathize with because of, well, the pyschic element not always being predictable, and Jenkins. I didn't know I was bringign Jenkins to his death. I assume Anderson thought his knowledge of the planet would help-instead it made him emotional. We weren't five minutes in. I...should have stopped him as soon as I heard his first exclamation.

I don't know what they were. These drones, I think. They just appeared, shot him down. I put on a brave face, but-god. They tore through the shields like nothing I've seen.

Your Kessler kept me alive. Side note. Sorry I stole your Kessler. Well, borrowed. I intend to return it next time I see you.

There were these...I guess they were bodies, all over the planet side. Burnt to a crisp. To a husk. Miranda was only more disturbing because my powers were still so very volatile. I was glad Kaidan had my back, that I wasn't alone. Keeping a straight face made a world of difference, and was only possible with an audience.

We ran into Ashley Williams shortly after. Reminded me of Kaylee, dressed all in pink and white, but no less of a badass.

She put forth that our strange enemies were the Geth-mechanical beings of sentiences that haven't been seen outside the veil in 200 yeears. Outside a lawless system before that. You'd like them, if they weren't, well seemingly homocidal.  
She had survived, sole survivor of her squad, after the initial attack.

I like her. She's got attitude, and observation skills. The Geth-they were impaling people, not just shooting them. Some of the older bodies were the husks I had seen earlier.

Then we found the ones that weren't just shriveled up, around the base camp. The spires had reprogrammed them, biological beings, an infected them with some kind of cybernetic virus. Truth be told, fighting them made me miss the Reavers. They were pure rage but the Husk-they were empty.

I found out survivors. A Doctor Warren and Dr. Manuel. He...spoke like a mad oracle. But you might remember just because we once thought my words were mad didn't mean they were wrong.

He saw another Turian, called him the prophet. That was unsettling. Warren reported the Beacon seemed to be a date module. More rambles. I'm starting to think everyone was far too eager to use the Protean technology...

I felt it, Mal. Nihlu's final moments. I sensed them. He encountered a friend. No. A comrade. ANother Turian. Named Saren. Another Spectre. He turned his back on him, speculated about the geth, and then-darkness. I'm getting good at concealing when I have those visions.

Then we saw this ship. The claw. Its behind this, Mal. The attack on Eden. And I felt...not rage. Just...not nothing. Just focus. Judging by the rest of Eden Prime, this focus will not be good for the rest of us.

We finally located the Beacon. But something was off. Ashley reported it was active when they dug it up. Then Kaidan approached it, probably drawn in by his biotics. I know how those feelings are. I pulled him away but it got in my head, Mal. I saw things. Visions. The worst part is-I know its all real. This wasn't my first time. Not my first vision.

WHen I came to, Chakwas was examining me-and Kaidan was close, feeling guilty. I was back on the Normandy. The Doc said I was out 15 hours, and I gave off some unusual brain activity, and an intense rem. Heh, signs I know too well. At least I didn't go at anyone with a butcher knife this time.

  
Anderson had words with me. I wasn't thrilled. The council won't be happy about the broken Beacon, or my report-especially about Saren the Spectre. Apparently he's a legend, even among spectres. I told Anderson about the vision, he thinks I should tell the Council. I think they'll scoff.

I'm writing this while we fly to the Citadel, then I can mail it out. I hope you read this captain, I hope you're not still mad at me. I understand if you are. But you believe in me. You know my gifts are real. And you need to know, and everyone still on the crew.

I didn't see anything solid, but I saw death and destruction, Captain. Something bad is coming, and everyone should brace themselves. Be ready.

 


End file.
